A projector is a device that projects an image onto a surface—generally a wall, a screen, etc.—which allows the projected image to be enlarged and displayed. Projectors are commonly used to aid a presenter giving a presentation to a group of people by projecting images associated with the presentation onto a projection surface for the group of people to see.
Many projectors are portable. The position of a portable projector must be adjusted such that the image projected by the projector is properly displayed on the desired projection surface. If a projector is positioned improperly, the projected image can be distorted or otherwise less-optimally displayed.
One kind of portable projector is an ultra-short range projector, which is positioned very near the projection surface. Using an ultra-short range projector, a presenter can stand in front of and near the projection surface without interfering with a projected image. For example, Ricoh PJ WX 4130/PJ WX 4130N is an ultra-short range projector that is optimally placed from between 4.6 and 9.8 inches from the desired projection surface. Because of the proximity of an ultra-short range projector to the projection surface, a projected image from such a projector is especially sensitive to small positioning adjustments.
It may be difficult to manually adjust a portable projector, especially a portable ultra-short range projector, to a position that allows for optimal projected image quality. For example, a user may place a portable projector on a table in front of the desired projection surface and find that the projector is too low to the ground. The user may attempt to adjust the height of the projector using books or other objects. However, finding just the right combination of objects to elevate the projector to the optimal height can be difficult. Furthermore, the user may have to find another table altogether if the projector is too high for the projection surface when the projector is placed upon the table. Such positioning problems also extend to the rotation and tilt of the projector, as well as to the distance between the projector and desired projection surface.
The approaches described in this section are approaches that could be pursued, but not necessarily approaches that have been previously conceived or pursued. Therefore, unless otherwise indicated, it should not be assumed that any of the approaches described in this section qualify as prior art merely by virtue of their inclusion in this section.